The Dark Knight

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The Dark Knight

• Characters

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IntroducingThe Joker

• In Gotham city there is a representation of the
  typical evil that exists among men.
• There are the mob bosses like Maroni. Criminals
  who lack any true complexity they are lovers of
  money and lovers of power.
• But the Joker is a different breed of criminal.

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• There is no exact origin story given for The
  Joker in The Dark Knight. Other Batman tales show
  how he became what he was but Nolan keeps it
  vague. The Joker himself offers various accounts
  (You wanna know how I got these scars?).
• Batman is like his toy, a force of good that
  strives to heal the world while Joker thrives on
  the bottled chaos that flows in the subconscious
  of the civilised human.
• It could even be argued that Batman needs The
  Joker. Not Bruce Wayne, but whenever The Joker is
  around Batman cannot retire.

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In The Dark Knight Alfred tells Bruce the story
of a ruby bandit in Burma.

• Alfred Pennyworth A long time ago, I was in
  Burma, my friends and I were working for the
  local government. They were trying to buy the
  loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with
  precious stones. But their caravans were being
  raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit.
  So we went looking for the stones. But in six
  months, we never found anyone who traded with
  him. One day I saw a child playing with a ruby
  the size of a tangerine. The bandit had been
  throwing them away.
• Bruce Wayne Then why steal them?
• Alfred Pennyworth Because he thought it was good
  sport. Because some men arent looking for
  anything logical, like money. They cant be
  bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with.
  Some men just want to watch the world burn.

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What is the Joker?

• The Joker is an anarchist.
• A scheming genius.
• The central character of the film?

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• Batmans uncompromising moral code, seems to be
  the very thing that continues to feed The Jokers
  motivation.
• He baits Batman to kill him, to break his
  purity. He obviously fails. So the plan
  changesif he cant defeat Batman maybe he can
  defeat the people?

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• The mass exodus of Gotham, after threats from the
  Joker, leaves two ferries broken down in Gotham
  River- one with criminals and one with citizens-
  both rigged handsomely with explosives, the
  triggers in the hands of the other boat (chaos is
  a complex game to play sometimes). But the people
  of Gotham, though quick to panic when provoked by
  the Joker, still have a conscience.

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• You just couldnt let me go could you? This is
  what happens when an unstoppable force meets an
  immovable object. You truly are incorruptible
  arent you? You wont kill me out of some
  misplaced sense of self-righteousness, and I
  wont kill you, because youre just too much fun.
  I think you and I are destined to do this
  forever.

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Batman/Bruce Wayne

• When I was young I saw the cartoon The Justice
  League. Full of all the DC superheroes.
  Superheroes with super powers. Super speed, Super
  (Power)Rings, Wonder Woman and of course
  Superman. Then there was Batman. But Batman
  doesnt really have any super powers I thought.
  But then I realised Isnt that one of the things
  that makes Batman so cool?
• They say with great power comes great
  responsibility, but Batman wasnt gifted any of
  these performance enhancing abilities- thus
  anyone of us could be him. He is just one man
  dishing out some pure revenge for the good of
  everybody.

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Back story.

• We all know the story of Batmans childhood, his
  saintly parents needlessly murdered. He grows up,
  never freed from that traumatic experience and
  seeks to bring justice to those responsible.

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• He finds an intricate mob system in place
  corrupt police, low level thugs and ruthless evil
  bosses perfectly out of reach of the long arm of
  the Gotham law.
• So Wayne uses his millions and his relentless
  vengeful motivation to become a vigilante force
  within the city.
• He chooses the symbol of the bat to strike fear
  into criminals just like bats once did to him as
  a child.
• The Batman is born.

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• Batmans alter ego- Bruce Wayne
• Which is more fictional Batman or Wayne?

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• Most people crave and even need recognition for
  doing good but who can give Batman recognition?
• He is afterall a faceless vigilante who rarely
  engages in conversation.

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• Batman, despite his vigilante approach still has
  faith in the law and order of society.
• He strives to catch the villains and hand them
  over to the police for due process.
• He is always in contact with Jim Gordon when
  looking for ways to thwart the baddies.
• His most valiant moral code is that Batman never
  kills.

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But every superhero has a weakness.

• Batmans initial intentions and final results are
  always pure and aligned with the view of modern
  law, it is in the middle where he treads a thin
  line.
• Vigilantism is against the law.

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• But as the stakes get higher so does the need to
  push the boundaries of means/ends justification.
• Like any action movie, city streets are
  demolished and international laws and
  jurisdiction are tossed aside.
• Batman begins to torture a suspect in custody.
• He taps into every phone in the city.

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• Batman is the only person who can do this- Why?
• because he isnt a person- he is a symbol.
• He isnt accountable.
• SO who is?

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• It may be difficult for someone to act like this,
  in such a selfless manner
• Batman never sought any public recognition.
• He takes full responsibility.
• He bears the physical demands
• He does what others are scared or forbidden to
  do.
• He accepts Lucius resignation
• He sacrifices living with the love of his life.

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Inspirational?

• In the end all Batman hoped to do was inspire the
  spirits of the people of Gotham.
• Harvey Dent was one of those he inspired.
• Did he inspire the Joker?

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• You either die a hero or you live long enough to
  see yourself become the villain.

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Harvey Dent
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• Harvey Dent, Gothams White Knight, is the citys
  new District Attorney and he always has his game
  face on when prosecuting crime.
• He is seen by the citizens of Gotham as this
  incorruptible force, an enforcer of law who is
  willing to take the fight to the mob.

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Dent is everything Batman cant be.

• He is a tangible face fighting for Gothams
  citizens. He is someone that inspires others.
• He lives a strong, untarnished life within the
  bounds of the law.
• The titles each man has (The Dark Knight and the
  White Knight) ensures that viewers compare the
  two characters
• FORM A COMPARISON CHART COMPARING THE TWO
  CHARACTERS.

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• For all that goes on in Dark Knight between The
  Batman and The Joker, it could easily be looked
  at as the origin of the Twoface story.
• Harvey is one of the first reactions to the work
  done by Batman.
• Harvey rose to the DA position after
  investigating police corruption through internal
  affairs.
• He has a guilt-free conscience in the fight for
  justice, and he applies this moral standard with
  the strength of his convictions.

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• The second thing about Harvey Dent, and most of
  the characters of Gotham, is the symbolism and
  Harvey Dent is some of the simplest yet
  compelling symbolism around. A District Attorney
  should be sure of himself, he should possess an
  unflinching desire to do good.
• What Harvey has is a coin he flips on every
  important decision. Heads yes tails no.
  But the trick is his coin has two heads on it
  (two faces you could say!). Initially it is
  thought that in the fight for justice Harvey Dent
  cannot be compromised.

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• While The Batman and The Joker battle it out over
  every inch of Gothams soul, it is the soul of
  Harvey Dent that becomes the biggest
  battleground.
• Ultimately the Joker is triumphant BUT Gotham
  never knows and Batman and Gordon believe this
  will torment the Joker.

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• The Joker wins this fight.
• He proved to Dent that justice is a myth. That
  chaos and anarchy are inherent in man.
• Chance is the only form of justice that cant
  discriminate. Twoface will never make another
  decision in his life.

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• Two-face will never make another decision in his
  life.

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• His first flip of the coin is The Joker Live or
  Die. The coin spares his life. But Harvey isnt
  finished. The crooked cops who fell under the
  Jokers sway Live or Die. Sal Maroni, head of
  the mob Live or Die. Finally his logic takes him
  to Gordon and Batman. Why would the commissioner
  let such a corrupt force exist? Why would The
  Batman save him and not his girl? Live or Die.

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• The taking of Gordons family is the ultimate
  sign of Harveys corruption- he has always upheld
  justice and the protection of the innocent now he
  is willing to sacrifice one of them.